I'm a sophomore technical writing major. I grew up in Washington State, and camping and backpacking were staples of my childhood. I love being outdoors, and over the past few years I've been hiking all along the west coast, including as far south as Mexico and north as Alaska, ran on countless miles of trail, gone swimming in glacial lakes, and conquered a few mountains. Moving out east and into a city was a big change, but it's still important to get out and explore!

I am a Statistics student in my Sophomore year here at Carnegie Mellon.  I like to hike, read, play music, eat tasty fruits and vegetables, and ride my bicycle.  I was raised in Richmond, Virginia, and have thoroughly enjoyed living in Pittsburgh, exploring the city, and of course, checking out the nearby hiking locations.

Jack Michalak (jmichala@andrew.cmu.edu)

I began my interest in hiking with many adventures across the United States. My dad bought an RV when I was extremely young, and we would spend four weeks every Summer visiting national and state parks, hiking through many beautiful parts of our country. I wasn't always able to explore the outdoors as much as I wanted to, and so I decided I would make a point of exploring more as a part of my time in college. We're blessed with really wonderful hiking opportunities around us here in Pennsylvania that in a sense I am extremely jealous of, coming from Orlando, Florida. I'm excited for more exploration!

Ben Towne (wbt+explorers@andrew.cmu.edu)

I got started hiking in my home state of New Hampshire, a state with enough amazing natural beauty to get me hooked.  I've climbed a number of the state's peaks including the *real* Mt. Washington, which is much more challenging than Pittsburgh's old Coal Hill.  I enjoy hiking in PA as well as other states and countries, including a 7-month travel and backpacking trip in Europe a few years back. If there's somewhere you want to go (see suggestions above) just put out a note to explorers-hiking and let's make it happen!